Downtown Commuter Choice
Together we are reducing emissions, congestion, and the number of cars coming into downtown, while creating a more interconnected, prosperous, and livable community. The Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Ithaca Carshare, city and county planners, and Way2Go are working together to offer incentives to employees who leave their cars at home to take advantage of public transportation, ride sharing, walking and biking to work. There are many ways to get involved in this effort.
Downtown Commuter Programs
Go Ithaca is a transportation initiative to increase transportation flexibility for downtown commuters-engaging the use of alternative modes to transport rather than focusing solely on driving. The initiative offers incentives such as automatic enrollment, back up ride home (see below), and discounts on Ithaca Carshare, TCAT, Lime, downtown garage parking, and more. If you have questions or are interested in getting involved contact Jane@downtownithaca.com.
Back Up Ride Home offers peace of mind to commuters who leave their car at home, providing alternative transportation if something unexpected happens, such as a planned method of transportation failing, or needing to get to a child’s school in case of emergency. Back Up Ride Home is available by registration to all Tompkins County residents and employees who commute regularly by carpool, bus, bike or foot. Local Ithaca Carshare on-call staff facilitate alternate transportation home if something unexpectedly happens in the middle of a work day. Details and enrollment at ithacacarshare.org/backup-ride-home/.
Opportunities for Downtown Employers
Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) help commuters make successful mode shifts through education, infrastructure support, and incentives. An Association is currently in development for Ithaca/Tompkins County, led by Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Center for Community Transportation, TCAT and the City of Ithaca planning department. If you are an employer interested in getting involved contact Jane@downtownithaca.com.
Contact
Lauren Gabuzzi
TDM Program Manager, Downtown Ithaca Alliance
lauren@downtownithaca.com
(607)277-8679
Last updated March 25, 2022
Back Up Ride Home
If you carpool, bus, bike, or walk you are eligible for the Back Up Ride Home program. Sign up now in case of an emergency.
Lessons Learned
Smart Trips Ithaca - 2016
The first pilot project of Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Center for Community Transportation and Way2Go focused on engaging downtown residents to learn more about their travel needs and behaviors. The Smart Trips team encouraged the use of sustainable and affordable transportation options through educational events, one:one support and incentives.
Bike Share in Ithaca
Through the Smart Trips Ithaca pilot we learned that the downtown transient population would benefit from a local bike share that would allow them to make short trips throughout the day. Lime was invited to pilot a bike share program serving the Ithaca/ Tompkins County area between spring of 2019 through Spring of 2020. Lessons learned from the Lime pilot continue to inform explorations for developing and implementing a sustainably affordable bike share program in the area.